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Please log in to edit this wiki.Joining Muppet Wiki is free, and it only takes a minute.We hope that you sign in, and become a member of the community!Click here to log in or create an account more + {{character|image=Julia-SS.png|performer=[[Stacey Gordon]]|debut=2015|design=[[Louis Henry Mitchell]]|designnote=designer|design2=[[Rollie Krewson]]|designnote2=builder}} [[File:StaceyG-Julia.png|thumb|300px|Stacey Gordon performing Julia on set (assisted by [[John Kennedy]]).]] [[File:Julia-LHMSketches.jpg|thumb|300px|Louis Henry Mitchell's early sketches of Julia, who was originally to be named Isabel.]] [[File:Julia-Macys2018.jpg|thumb|300px|Julia with [[Rosita]] at the 2018 [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]].]] [[File:JuliasFamily.jpg|thumb|300px|Julia with her parents, Daniel and Elena,<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOTHczfP6Xo Julia's Family Gets Ready (YouTube video)]</ref> and brother Sam.]] [[File:Julia and Rose.jpg|thumb|300px|Julia's dog Rose.]] [[File:Julie-Workshop.png|thumb|300px|Julia in [[The Muppet Workshop]].]] [[File:Julia-Muppet.png|thumb|300px|Julia puppet with blue eyes for greenscreen use.]] [[File:Bringing Julia to Life|thumb|300px]] '''Julia''' is a four-year-old girl with autism from ''[[Sesame Street]]'', introduced in 2015 as part of the ''[[Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children]]'' initiative. She is a young girl with bright orange hair and big green eyes and is friends with [[Elmo]] and [[Abby Cadabby|Abby]]. People usually say she does things in a "Julia sort of way." {{TOClimit}} Julia's characterization was originated by [[Leslie Kimmelman]] for the digital storybook ''[[We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3!]]'' She used her own experiences as the mother of a child with autism, as well as input from research and advisers from the autism community, to inform the story. Due to the positive response to the outreach initiative, Julia was made into a physical Muppet that debuted in [[episode 4715]] of the show, airing on April 10, 2017. She is performed by Stacey Gordon, who also used her own experiences raising her autistic son to help inform the actions of the character. She made her television debut on ''[[60 Minutes]]'' on March 19, 2017, and subsequently appeared in a series of [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8TioFHubWFtrZ_oqh1uqmijgSPt2ii_0 YouTube videos] for [[SesameStreet's YouTube Channel]]. A digital storybook released in April 2018, ''[[Family Forever: A Julia Storybook]]'', introduced [[Julia's family]]: her mother Elena (an art teacher), her father Daniel (a medical professional and saxophonist) and her older brother Samuel. Julia's family, which also includes a [[Dogs|dog]] named [[Rose]], made their first appearance in Muppet form in [https://autism.sesamestreet.org/videos/kids/ a series of videos] that premiered online in 2019. Julia (puppeteered by [[Lara MacLean]]<ref>[https://www.instagram.com/p/Bqf9-APBwCO/ Stacey Gordon on Instagram]</ref>) also joined the cast on the ''Sesame Street'' float in the 2018 [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]], wearing a noise-cancelling headset so the loud volume wouldn't bother her. In August 2019, Julia appeared in a series of video PSAs produced with [[the Ad Council]] and Autism Speaks. The campaign provoked the Autism Self Advocacy Network (ASAN) to end their partnership with [[Sesame Workshop]]. ASAN claimed materials relating to the campaign stigmatized children with autism and their families.<ref>https://www.fastcompany.com/90387368/sesame-streets-autistic-muppet-julia-was-a-huge-success-why-some-of-her-creators-are-now-cutting-ties</ref> ==Notes== *The puppet is built with two sets of arms, one of which allows Julia to flap her arms in an emotional state. *The character, initially named Isabel, was named after writer [[Leslie Kimmelman]]'s eldest daughter.<ref>"[https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/team-sesame-street-created-character-autism-180967218/ Why the Team Behind Sesame Street Created a Character With Autism]," Smithsonian Magazine, December 2017.</ref> *Her favorite [[Muppets' transitional objects|toy]] is a stuffed doll named [[Fluffster]], which has a somewhat rabbit-like appearance and is described in ''Family Forever'' as being a "bunny." She states within this title that Fluffster's favorite picnic food is frogs. *For three television seasons, a ''Sesame Street'' episode from each season starring Julia has premiered simultaneously on [[HBO]] and [[PBS]] on the same day during April, popularly recognized as Autism Awareness Month. These shows include Julia's introductory episode ([[Episode 4715|#4715]]), "Shape Hunt" ([[Episode 4821|#4821]]), and "Julia's Haircut" ([[Episode 4921|#4921]]). This departs from a previously established deal between HBO and [[Sesame Workshop]] where first run episodes on the network air on PBS following a nine-month window. These episodes have also premiered on the second Monday in April, which deviates from HBO's regular airing of ''Sesame Street'' episodes on Saturdays. <gallery widths="150"> Julia.jpg|Julia's original illustrated form Julia-Feather.jpg|Julia's puppet form </gallery> ==Appearances== *''[[Sesame Street]]'' **[[Episode 4715]] **[[Episode 4734]] **[[Episode 4801]] **[[Episode 4806]] **[[Episode 4807]] **[[Episode 4821]] **[[Episode 4903]] **[[Episode 4911]] **[[Episode 4921]] *''[[Sesame Street and Autism: See Amazing in All Children|See Amazing in All Children]]'' resource videos **[https://youtu.be/M8QQRtA0hVA Abby Cadabby & Julia Sing "Sunny Days"] **[https://youtu.be/rIlLpwgjmXA Elmo & Julia Sing "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star"] **[https://youtu.be/wn-a10Ko_38 Butterfly Flapping Fun] **[https://youtu.be/wCsVSHT3tpY Play Peek-A-Boo] **[https://youtu.be/RA9FIWK8OUY Making Bubbles!] **[https://youtu.be/bNzEyDfTrYA Julia Invents a New Game] *''[[Sesame Street's 50th Anniversary Celebration]]'' ;Live and Other Television Appearances **''[[60 Minutes]]'' (March 19, 2017) **''[[Today]]'' (March 27, 2017) **''[[United States Congress|The Capitol Visitor Center]]'' (April 4, 2017) **''[[The View]]'' (April 12, 2017) **''[[Night of Too Many Stars: America Unites for Autism Programs]]'' (November 18, 2017) **[[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] (2018, 2019) **''[[Meet the Peetes]]'' (April 22, 2019) ==Book appearances== *''[[We're Amazing, 1, 2, 3!]]'' (2016) *''[[Celebrate You, Celebrate Me!]]'' (2017) *''[[The Runaway Egg]]'' (2018) *''[[Family Forever: A Julia Storybook]]'' (2018) *''[[Circle of Friends: A Julia Storybook]]'' (2019) ==Merchandise== *[[Sesame Street plush (Gund)|14-inch plush]] *[[Sesame Street plush (Hasbro)|10-inch plush]] ==See also== * [[Julia walk-around]] * [[Julia (Sesamstrasse)|Julia]], a human character on ''[[Sesamstrasse]]'' ==Sources== <references /> ==External links== *[http://www.people.com/article/sesame-street-introduces-autistic-muppet?xid=socialflow_twitter_peoplemag Meet Sesame Street's First Character with Autism] *[http://www.today.com/parents/sesame-street-introduces-first-character-autism-meet-julia-t51491 'Sesame Street' introduces first character with autism] *[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhzfHVmSLRU YouTube: Bringing Julia to Life] __NOWYSIWYG__ Templates used on the current version of this page: Template:! 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